"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
I set all my regrets on fire
Cause I know I'll never take the time
To unpack my missteps and call all of our friends
I figure they would take your side
I make the bed, just not that well
Your name comes up a lot
When I talk to my mom
Oh, I think she can tell
I was out on the town
So I came to your window last night
I tried not to throw stones
But I wanted to come inside
Now I'm causing a scene, thinking you need a reason to smile
Oh no, what have I done?
There's no one to keep me warm
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
So maybe I should put up a fight
I'll call them back and borrow a box knife
So I can learn to live with all the stupid shit I've been doing since ninety nine
And I know I could be more clever
And I know I could be more strong
But I'm waiting for the day you come back and say
"Hey, maybe I should change my mind"
I drink a lot
I'm not sure if that's new
But these days when I wake up from a night I forgot
I just wish that it never came true
I was out on the town
So I came to your window last night
I tried not to throw stones
But I wanted to come inside
Now I'm causing a scene, thinking you need a reason to smile
Oh no, what have I done?
There's no one to keep me warm
And I know I could be more clever
And I know I could be more strong
And I know I could be more clever
And I know I could be more clever
I knew there would come a day when all was said and done (And I know I could be more clever)
Everything I was is everything but gone (And I know I could be more strong)
All my big mistakes are bouncing off your wall (And I know I could be more clever)
The bottles never break, the sorrow never comes (And I know I could be more clever)
So come on let me in, I will be the sun (And I know I could be more clever)
I will wake you up, I am who I was (And I know I could be more strong)
Just open up your heart, open up your heart, open up your heart (And I know I could be more clever)
I was out on the town
So I came to your window last night
I tried not to throw stones
But I wanted to come inside
Now I'm causing a scene, thinking you need a reason to smile
Oh no, what have I done?
There's no one to keep me warm
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Cause I know I'll never take the time
To unpack my missteps and call all of our friends
I figure they would take your side
I make the bed, just not that well
Your name comes up a lot
When I talk to my mom
Oh, I think she can tell
I was out on the town
So I came to your window last night
I tried not to throw stones
But I wanted to come inside
Now I'm causing a scene, thinking you need a reason to smile
Oh no, what have I done?
There's no one to keep me warm
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
So maybe I should put up a fight
I'll call them back and borrow a box knife
So I can learn to live with all the stupid shit I've been doing since ninety nine
And I know I could be more clever
And I know I could be more strong
But I'm waiting for the day you come back and say
"Hey, maybe I should change my mind"
I drink a lot
I'm not sure if that's new
But these days when I wake up from a night I forgot
I just wish that it never came true
I was out on the town
So I came to your window last night
I tried not to throw stones
But I wanted to come inside
Now I'm causing a scene, thinking you need a reason to smile
Oh no, what have I done?
There's no one to keep me warm
And I know I could be more clever
And I know I could be more strong
And I know I could be more clever
And I know I could be more clever
I knew there would come a day when all was said and done (And I know I could be more clever)
Everything I was is everything but gone (And I know I could be more strong)
All my big mistakes are bouncing off your wall (And I know I could be more clever)
The bottles never break, the sorrow never comes (And I know I could be more clever)
So come on let me in, I will be the sun (And I know I could be more clever)
I will wake you up, I am who I was (And I know I could be more strong)
Just open up your heart, open up your heart, open up your heart (And I know I could be more clever)
I was out on the town
So I came to your window last night
I tried not to throw stones
But I wanted to come inside
Now I'm causing a scene, thinking you need a reason to smile
Oh no, what have I done?
There's no one to keep me warm
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Lyrics submitted by smileforthecamera, edited by Mellow_Harsher, brechtsky, gunflair, Alayala, Keurlyn
Out on the Town [Bonus Track] Lyrics as written by Jack Antonoff Andrew Dost
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
This is a rather interesting self-reflective song and easily one of the (if not the) best on the album. Like most others, I'm amazed it's a bonus track, it should've been a single. Its pop credentials are pretty strong.
In particular, there's a kind of desperate pleading.
"I knew there'd come a day When all was said and done Everything I was is everything but gone All my big mistakes are bouncing off your wall
The bottles never break, The sorrow never comes So come on let me in, I will be the sun I will wake you up; I am who I was."
It's that feeling you have when you've gone too far. You've managed to screw things up by over-correcting, over-reaching, you've really just over-played the hand you've been dealt. And only when the person -- who you care greatly about -- displays how offended they are, do you reel back and realize, "What the hell am I doing?"
They recoil. They back away from you. And you just want to reach out and say, "Hold on, hold on, I'm sorry. I'm the same person I've always been, don't go." And there's no un-breaking what's been broken. You did wrong, they can't un-remember what's happened.